With over half an hour already wasted, Michael O’Neill knew that he had to intervene if Shamrock Rovers had any chance of keeping their slim title hopes alive.
The Hoops boss paced back and forth inside the boundaries of his technical area, arms flapping at every misplaced pass and letting out screams that could be heard all around Tallaght Stadium.
Bottom-placed Drogheda United were outplaying his team in the penultimate game of the season, a game that they needed to win in order to close the one-point gap that league leaders Bohemians held over them.
However, the signs were not encouraging. The strain of playing St Patrick’s Athletic twice in the space of three days appeared to be taking its toll. A shot wide from Drogheda striker John Flood set the pulse racing and by the time Yael Haro and Paul Crowley had gone close for the visitors, O’Neill was seething.
The former Brechin City manager bravely summoned 20-year-old Enda Stevens from the bench to replace creative midfielder Stephen Bradley and moved the combative Stephen Rice into centre midfield. With the attack-minded tactics abandoned, the message now was clear – turn this into an old-fashioned scrap.
A half-time rousing from O’Neill then followed and Rovers trotted out for the second half ready to fight for the Premier Division crown. It worked too as Thomas Stewart headed them in front just six minutes later.
Having waited 16 years to be in the position to get their hands on the league trophy, the Rovers supporters erupted in jubilation as news filtered through that Bohs were losing away to Galway United. Suddenly, the title race was wide open.
Gary Twigg then did what he does best by scoring a goal that he had no right to score to put Rovers 2-0 up. The scrapping for every ball and focus on counter attacking at speed had paid off. O’Neill tried to remain calm but he knew that he had made the right call – one which may ultimately decide the title.
“It’s a good day. We’ve had enough bad days over the last two weeks,” stated Rice afterwards. “It’s been a tough week with the St Pat’s game after losing three league games on the bounce and to lose the goal in the nature that we did against St Pat’s – it was a freak goal.
“But to go to Richmond Park and get a result and then to come home three days later when we’ve played three games in five or six days and get a result, it shows the character that we have in the squad. All we can do is take care of ourselves.
“There hasn’t been a lot going for us in the last few weeks, but thankfully tonight it did. I think now we’ve got to refuel, rest up, get a good week’s training and hopefully go and beat Bray.”
Rovers felt that they were overdue some luck after defeats to UCD, Bohs and Sporting Fingal saw their seven-point lead at the top of the table disappear over a crazy two-week period. Winning a first league title since 1994 looked beyond them as injuries, suspensions and games all piled up.
Although the fighting spirit that they showed in the second half against Drogheda was the reason why they had topped the table in the first place, O’Neill simply had to reignite that desire in his players. He will have to do that again on Friday when he brings his squad to the Carlisle Grounds to take on Bray Wanderers. If they win, then they win the league.
Bohs will certainly not be giving up as they entertain Dundalk at Dalymount Park aiming to retain the league trophy for a third successive year. But the title race will go down to the final weekend.
And it is ironic that only days after the majority of league clubs ruled in favour of moving away from summer football and expanding the Premier Division that the most exciting end of a season for years would stretch on for another week.
Besides the Rovers-Bohs tussle for the title, it’s also all to play for between Sligo Rovers, Fingal and St Pat’s in the race to finish third and clinch a Europa League qualifying spot, while Galway and UCD have a relegation play-off to prepare for. Over the course of a long season, the 10-team top flight may feel repetitive, but it has resulted in some thrilling finishes.
There are certainly a few skeletons tucked away in the backrooms of certain clubs and tough questions will have to be answered in the off-season, although it is a sign of how competitive the domestic game has become that there is still so much to fight for.
Bohs possibly have the most work to do once the season ends as they have debts of EUR5.6 million and a return to part-time football looks likely. No one is sure what will happen at the club, yet manager Pat Fenlon insists he is sticking around despite the uncertainty.
“There are lots of staff at the club who have been tremendous and they don’t know what their futures are after next week,” said Fenlon. “I have a contract until 2013 and if I have to work with kids next year, that’s not a problem. I’m not going to walk out on a club that’s been good to me.”
Should Rovers win the league this week, they have the infrastructure, the board, the manager and the backbone of a squad to become the dominant force in the Airtricity League.
It may end up being the year of the Rover after all as O’Neill’s brave call was exactly what was needed to edge them out in front at just the right time.